


Put It On My Tab

by starvonnie



Series: Valentine's Day Fics [1]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, First Kiss, M/M, Valentine's Day Fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 14:02:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9749144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starvonnie/pseuds/starvonnie
Summary: Minimus asks Swerve out.  Everything is awkward (but cute).





	

"Here, uh, sir," Swerve was practically stuttering.  "My supply stop requests."  His hands shook as he passed the data pad to Ultra Magnus, who took it with a genuine _smile_.  He adored that smile, however rarely he saw it.

"Thank you, Swerve."  Ultra Magnus briefly skimmed it, then told him, "This all seems to be in order.  I'll add it to our shopping list."

"Oh, uh, thank you.  Um...  Hey, can I, um...  Actually, never mind, I should be going.  Got a couple 'a regulars waiting on me!  Bye!"  Swerve was gone faster than Rodimus had seen anyone go.

"Dude."  Rodimus leaned against Magnus' chair.  "When are you going to ask him out already?  He's clearly got a thing for you."

Ultra Magnus sputtered incoherently for a few moments before he finally said, "We're friends.  Nothing more."

"Uh, duh, because you're too chicken to ask him out and he can't tell if you're into him or not because you're as easy to read as Megatron's diary that's locked in a safe that's locked in _another_ safe that's locked in a vault that's guarded by--"

"I _get it_ , Rodimus.  There's nothing to read, though.  Like I said, we are friends."

"Uh huh.  And that's why he comes straight to you for every little thing.  And that's why you're never bothered with him when he comes to you for said little things.  Because you _like_ him."  Rodimus leaned over the data pad Ultra Magnus was trying to use to ignore him.  "Admit it!  You're blushing!"

"What?  No I'm not!"  Magnus shouted that far too loudly.

"Oh, you're getting defensive!  That just proves it!"

Ultra Magnus sucked in a sharp breath.  "I am getting _defensive_ ," he hissed, "because someone is discussing such matters on the bridge, where we should be discussing only things that relate directly to our work."

"So what you're saying is I should ask you again once your shift is over?" Rodimus asked with a smirk.

Sighing, Ultra Magnus ignored him.  Instead he checked over everything Swerve wanted.  There was nothing out of the ordinary, so he immediately gave his approval.  Once Megatron (or Rodimus, if he ever decided to read the reports) approved it, he could tell Swerve that his request had been granted. 

Thankfully, Rodimus found a new distraction as Megatron came onto the bridge.

"Hey Megs!"  Rodimus grinned from audial to audial, a little skip in his step as he ran up to him.  "Want me to go over this morning's notes with you this time?"

"That's alright, Rodimus.  I'm sure Ultra Magnus' notes will suffice."  He held out his hand to accept the data pad, which Ultra Magnus already had ready for him.  "Thank you.  You can go now, Rodimus."

"Oh, yeah, okay," Rodimus said sadly, his spoiler drooping just a bit as he watched Megatron walk off.  He turned back to Magnus to say one last thing before he left.  "Ask.  Him.  Out.  He might shake all his bolts loose and dismantle himself if you wait for him to do it.  Trust me.  He wants a piece of that action."  And with that, Rodimus winked and walked off the bridge.

On a completely unrelated note to everything Rodimus had just said, Ultra Magnus cleared a spot in his schedule.

 

He felt much more vulnerable doing this without the Magnus armor on, but decided that he should be closer to Swerve's size when he did this, if only to save both of their neck pistons.  It also made him far easier to read, so he hoped Rodimus' previous comment rang with some truth.

He took a deep ventilation before the door to Swerve's, and could only pray that the room would be reasonably empty.  A moment of guilt followed that, as he wanted him to be successful.  Well, it was going to be what it was going to be, and sooner or later someone was going to come by.  He didn't want to be caught standing outside, stuck in his thoughts.  So, he went in.

It hit him as he was walking over, that he didn't know how he was going to ask him out.  The _Lost Light_ wasn't exactly an entertainment capital, and he couldn't ask Swerve to have drinks in his _own bar_.  And _"Visages"_ was completely off of the table.  Whatever affection Swerve had for him would be completely lost if he even broached the subject.  So then _where_?  Stargazing by the oil reservoir?  No.  Far too intimate for a first date.  He wouldn't even know what to say.  And now he was out of options.  They were making a stop soon but it was just long enough to stock up on supplies.  Not nearly long enough to have a proper date.  Not to mention he was due to supervise the deliveries.

Before he knew it, he was at the bar, staring at Swerve while he made drinks.  He took a seat, feeling quite sheepish, and couldn't decide if he should order something first or just get right into it and get it over with.  By the time Swerve was finished and eagerly approaching him, he still hadn't decided.

"Minimus!  Don't see you here too often.  Not that I watch out for you or anything, ha ha...  Uh, was there a problem with my order?  I'm pretty sure I didn't ask for anything illegal this time.  At least not in this star sector, but maybe I screwed that up?  Sorry about that, I just need more vats of engex, really, the rest is just if you can get it because I have some bots who like it, and--"

"Swerve, please, just, engex, yes?"  Minimus Ambus folded his hands on his lap to keep from fidgeting.

"Oh.  You're here for a drink?  Of course he's here for a drink this is a slaggin' _bar_ you slaggin' idiot," he mumbled to himself as he busied himself in his work.  Minimus swore he heard him say something along the lines of, "He's not here for you," but he couldn't be sure if that was just him hoping he said something like that.

On top of worrying about where to take him, now he had to worry about _when_.  He'd somehow forgotten how much Swerve tended to babble, if that was possible.  And every time he cut in he felt like he was interrupting.  So he had to do it before Swerve said anything more.

Minimus placed determined fists on the counter and stared down Swerve while he made his drink.  And as he watched, he realized he was making it exactly how he liked it-- and he hadn't even asked for that!  His whole plan flew out the window as he just watched in awe as Swerve carefully measured _everything_.  The amount of engex _and_ every additive was perfectly levelled off and then poured into a glass and stirred until the chrome flakes looked like they were suspended in a solid.  It was perfect in every way.

"That's on the house," Swerve told him as he placed it in front of him.  "Consider it thanks for... being you."

Red optics flicked up from the perfect drink to Swerve's face.

"L-like, how you always keep the ship running, I mean," Swerve quickly corrected himself.  "Not like, I like, _like_ you or anything.  Man, like sure sounds funny when you say it a lot, huh?  Anyways, uh, I'll leave you alone before I start--"

"I like _you_ ," Minimus blurted out. 

Swerve froze.

Minimus' cheeks grew warm.  Then _hot_.  Swerve was just _staring_ at him.  Oh, he knew he shouldn't have listened to Rodimus!

Not really know what to do or say next, he picked up his drink with shaking hands and took a sip, avoiding Swerve's gaze.  "Thank you for this, Swerve.  It's perfect."

"Yeah, no problem.  I, uh, remember everyone's orders."  Surprisingly, that was all Swerve said, but it didn't seem like he was going to leave.

Minimus considered moving to a table or a booth.  Anything to get out of this awkward situation he'd created.  He was just about to do it, too, because it was clear that Rodimus had misread Swerve.  He was probably nervous because Minimus had a reputation for making bots nervous.  And he had refused to get Swerve what he'd asked for before.  He was just worried that Minimus would tell him "no."

"So, uh...  I mean, if you're not busy..."  Out of the corner of his optic, Minimus saw Swerve wringing his hands.  "And if you want, of course.  I, uh, well, there's this dumb party I'm going to be throwing here, y'know, for Valentine's Day.  I've been watching too many Earth movies, I guess, but it's coming up and I figured we could all use a break and this is as good a time as any, but it's really only for couples, or y'know, bots who have a date and I was really hoping... uh..."

Minimus was looking at Swerve now.  But it was Swerve's turn to avoid optic contact.

"Are you... asking me to be your date?" Minimus asked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I am."  His visor finally rose to meet Minimus' optics, then looked away just as quickly.  "But, uh, I can see that you're not interested so I'll just go over here now."

Minimus grabbed his hand before he could get far.  "I want to go with you."

"Really?"  Swerve beamed.

"I came to ask you out," Minimus confessed.  "I'm... not very good at it."

"You're not?  Joking, right?  Like this isn't just some big joke?"  Swerve suddenly looked very unsure of himself.

"No, I...  Why would I joke about this?"

Swerve shook his helm.  "Never mind.  I just... _you_ and _me_ , I thought...  I thought you'd never go for someone like me.  I mean, you're _you_ , and I'm... I'm _me_...  You're sure?"

"Yes, Swerve.  I think I've put it off too long."  Minimus blushed even more.  To the point where he couldn't really look at Swerve without having more heat rush to his face.  "I assure you that I'm not trying to pull anything on you."

"O-okay.  Uh, so, yeah, it's in a couple of weeks?  I meant to advertise it sooner, but, uh..."  Swerve busied his hands by grabbing a glass and cleaning it.  It didn't seem to be dirty in the first place.  "If I'm honest, I wanted to ask you to it first but I couldn't get up the courage.  I didn't want to plan anything and then call it all off if you...  Well, I'd probably have just watched a lot of TV if you rejected me."  If it had been dirty, it was certainly clean now.  He must have wiped it five times over.  "Sorry, I don't mean to guilt you or anything, that's just what I do when I'm sad and--"

"Swerve."  Minimus gave him a sympathetic look.  "I'll go with you.  But, before that, I was thinking we could sit and talk?" 

"Oh, uh..."  Swerve glanced over at the two other bots at the bar, too interested in their own conversation to care about what they were saying or doing.  "Yeah, yeah, let's... let's talk.  And tell me if I start babbling.  I don't want to drown you out."

"I... like listening to you talk," Minimus admitted shyly.  "You're cute when you babble."  He took a sip of his drink-- and it was _perfect_ \-- but he couldn't stop the heat pooling in his cheeks.  It sat there, trapped, while Swerve's did much of the same.  "Just know that my feelings are mutual and that you don't have to worry about that."

Swerve put his face in his hands.  "Sorry, I...  I just never expected this to happen?  Oh, god, I'm just so happy and nervous and I'm not really used to someone wanting to be around me?"

"I clearly need to be around you more often," Minimus said quietly.

Swerve slowly lowered his hands, a confused look on his face.

"So I can remind you what that's like," Minimus finished, still unable to look at him.  He did when he felt Swerve's shaking hand tentatively rest over his.

Pulling up a stool behind the counter, Swerve sat.  "So, uh...  How's your drink?" he asked.  "Is it how you like it?"

Minimus' optics softened.  He turned his hand palm-up and held Swerve's, his thumb making circles on the back of his hand.  "It's perfect."

"Good."  Swerve breathed a sigh of relief.  "I'm always so worried I'll screw it up.  Oh, and, uh, Minimus?  I know I said it was on the house, but uh, times are a little tough around here.  So I'm going to need you to pay for it."

"Oh.  Oh, yes, of course.  I don't expect any special favours.  How much do I owe you?"

"A k-kiss?"  It was hard to tell that Swerve even had a face because it had turned as red as his plating.  He was visibly shaking and his field radiated with his embarrassment.  "S-sorry, I didn't mean...  I should have just asked you, I don't know why I--"

Minimus had planned to stop his words with a kiss, but he'd severely underestimated the width of the bar and Swerve had stopped more in surprise as he fell forward, spilling his drink.  He just hung there limply, not being able to believe that _yes_ he'd just done that!  It was made even worse when Swerve started to _laugh_!

"Are you okay?" Swerve asked through his giggles.

"I'm fine!"  Minimus scrambled to get back onto his stool, but his hand slipped in the spilled engex and he ended up right back where he started.  It felt like his face might melt off, it was so hot.  Hot enough to turn his cooling fans on.  His normally reserved field was flaring with his mortification.

"L-let me help!"  Swerve was surprisingly strong as he lifted Minimus off of the bar and back onto his stool.  Before Minimus could even think about complaining about the engex on his plating, Swerve was there with a rag-- and a clean one at that!-- wiping up what he could.  Then he ran over to the sink, tossing that rag and grabbing another clean one that he ran under the faucet and wrung out.  He rushed back over to rid Minimus of the stickiness.  "Sorry, I know how much to hate mess.  And especially stickiness.  And I'll make you a new drink!"

He could only think about how attentive he was to his needs and that he really hadn't paid as much attention to Swerve as he deserved.  He wanted to rectify that.  To know him as intimately as he clearly knew him.  But right then he could only watch on in awed silence as Swerve did everything Minimus would have done without him having to bring voice to a single thought.

The next time Swerve ran back to the sink, it was to get a towel for drying.  This time Minimus told him, "I can dry myself.  Thank you, Swerve."

"Sorry.  Again.  I'll, uh, make you that drink, yes?"  He was off and measuring before Minimus could answer him.  Though this time, his hands shook more.  It took him three tries to get the proper level of engex.

"It doesn't need to be perfect," Minimus told him, but Swerve either didn't hear him or was ignoring him.  Eventually he deemed it fit and placed it before him, and Minimus took advantage of their closeness to place a quick kiss on his lips.  He sort of missed.  Not so much that the kiss was on his cheek, but if he had been aiming for the corner of his mouth he would have been closer to his target.

When Minimus sat back, Swerve put a hand to his lips.  They were pulling up in a smile. 

"I still owe you one more," Minimus said.

"Aw, Minimus, you don't have to.  It was a dumb idea anyways.  Not that I didn't like that.  Understatement of the year, that is."  He waved in the direction of the drink.  "Enjoy that.  Actually free of charge."

"No, I won't accept that.  I was the one to spill the first drink and I won't accept favours."  Truth be told, the peck had set his spark racing, and he wasn't ready for it to calm down yet.  "I demand that you allow me to properly pay for my goods."

Swerve laughed a giggly sort of laugh.  One that was uncontrollable and used to hide his embarrassment.  "Really.  It's okay."

"Then can we kiss again just because?" Minimus asked.  Though he wasn't sure he was going to be able to hear his answer with his sparkbeat pounding in his audials.

"I mean... if you want to."  Swerve laced his fingers together, twiddling his thumbs.

Smiling, Minimus said, "Very much."

"Uh.  Okay.  I'm, uh, probably not that great?  I haven't kissed many bots, to be honest."

"Nor have I."  And not since he became Ultra Magnus.  He hadn't realized how much he had missed it.  "We could learn together," he suggested.  "If you wanted?"

Swerve gave a little nod in answer, but he still hesitated.  He approached the act slowly.  Moving bit by bit.  A shuffle here, a slide of the hand there.  It felt like forever before he was near enough once again, and even then he took his time in leaning in.  But there was a thrill in the anticipation.  So Minimus didn't rush him.  Plus, it made it that much more satisfying when his trembling lips finally touched his.

They were gentle with each other.  Their touches were soft and their lips even softer.  It wasn't a drawn-out peck, but it wasn't quite making out either.  Just a string of tender kisses without the want or need to push it to be anything more than what it was.

He wasn't bad at all.  Minimus wondered if someone had been cruel enough to tell him otherwise, or if this was just Swerve's lack of self-esteem.  Either way, when they ended up drifting apart-- and it was far too soon-- he made sure to tell him, "You think you're not great at that?"

"Um.  No?"  Swerve bit the lip that Minimus had found to be a nice place to rest his own.

"You are," Minimus assured him.  "I'd like to continue, if that's alright with you?"

Swerve hid behind his hands again for a moment, but eventually he leaned in again.  But before they kissed once more, he said, "Consider this paying it forward.  You don't get to pay for drinks now."

Chuckling, Minimus said, "Alright."  And once again he was granted the feel of the nervous bartender's kiss.


End file.
